herbs for adrenal support??

Its been a few days since i last used a very low dose of pregnenolone, i find it not really energizing now but more anxiety increasing, but since i havent used it i have had a couple of good nights sleep in a row and feel alot better not on pregnenolone, i feel alot calmer and clear headed. So i think it kick started my adrenals, although i dont think they are great but i think its just going take time to let them recover. I will keep up with the natural adrenal supps, hopefully get my order of b5, phos serine and adrenal extract next week but will hold off on the adrenal extract for awhile. I think removing the main stress (ebv/cmv) should help my adrenals to improve. Im looking forward to trying the phosphatidyl serine to help sleep.

cheers!!!

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I'll be interested to see how you get on with that

Where do you order from BTW? iherb? Have you ever ordered from HolisticHeal (Yasko site)?

hi,
I am starting to really think that the pregnenolone really did kick start my adrenals or kickstart my hypothalamus to make my adrenals work. Even though i have been off pregnenolone for awhile im already feeling alot better, pre preg my body temp was always below 36 degrees now since being on preg and now off, my body temp is over the 36 degree mark, so its improved my metabolism and weight is slowly coming off too, yeah! atlast. Im sleeping better but still medicated sleep.

I have just recieved more supps im going to use to help support my adrenals, which is vit b5 500mg tabs, phosphatidyleserine(PS) and adrenal extract and currently im taking siberian ginseng with astragalus, extra b vits and vit c. the b5 im taking 500mg in the morning and im going to try the PS 100mg tonight and hopefully lower my night time cortisol levels for better sleep. I have read that PS can also be stimulating so im going to stay at 100mg and go up every few nights until i reach say 300mg or i get good effects from lower dose or side effects and then may try it in the mornings. Im going to hold off on the adrenal extract for now and see how the other supps go and if i use the adrenal extract, i will use it on a day im not working to test the waters.

What also might be helping is that im using 5htp 100mg in the morning(good for mood) and using tryptophan 3000mg at night before bed, i felt relaxed after the tryptophan but not enough to get me to sleep on my own but i think it improved my sleep quality. I also use melatonin with my sleep meds. My kitchen looks like a health food shop at the moment.

I dont think treating the adrenals would help much if i didnt have my viral load down. I have tried something similar in the past but this was before i was on antivirals and didnt get much out of it. Now i feel optimistic. Like what was mentioned in an earlier post, theres no one hit wonder, cfs is a multisystem problem that i think requires a few different strategies.

cheers!!!
i will keep you all posted, hopefully wont mention i cant sleep, lol.

good find, i should keep visiting that site, just cant stand the guys on there, i should lerk and say nothing lol.
im not sure if it was the phosphatidylserine or not but i was sleepy a short while after taking it but couldnt quite drop off to sleep on my own so took my sleeping pills and i was out cold for 9 hours and felt like i slept well, it was great. now i will see if i can repeat this again tonight. I think the 5htp in the morn and tryptophan at night are helping, definately feeling better.

good find, i should keep visiting that site, just cant stand the guys on there, i should lerk and say nothing lol.
im not sure if it was the phosphatidylserine or not but i was sleepy a short while after taking it but couldnt quite drop off to sleep on my own so took my sleeping pills and i was out cold for 9 hours and felt like i slept well, it was great. now i will see if i can repeat this again tonight. I think the 5htp in the morn and tryptophan at night are helping, definately feeling better.

thanks again for that link 59

cheers!!!

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Lurking is good as I very seldom post. Most of these guys are not sick, but are probably out there in "twicking for perfection" group. If you watch though there is there is a group that are ill in various ways.

If I post I will wait at least 3 days to get the 5 different versions of what I should do and just away what applies to me which usually very little. I can attribute some of my improvement to the ATM forum (about 15%), Imminst.org (5% - this site has a custom multi that I'm getting ready to try) and PR the rest. Maybe PR could look into getting a custom multi made, which might fund the website to a degree???!!??

i agree some of the info is good, but they treat everything as black or white, they dont 'get' cfs very well. Im glad i have gone down this road ie trying hormones and being tested etc as its showed me more abnormalities that i can treat to help improve my condition. And u dont know unless u have a go and trialling preg helped me improve and prove i have adrenal problems but having cfs makes us sensitive to alot of things because our hypothalamus is 'whacky', but it had me looking at more natural treatments that at this early stage seem to be helping, but time will tell, theres always adjusting with any treatments. its just after 7pm here and i took 100mg of phosphatidylserine 30min ago and im feeling drowsy, so i think im onto something here. It didnt effect me negatively throughout the day and the sleep improvement made me feel better today, but maybe need to take it later in the night so i can read all the threads on here, lol.

hi,
Since being on adrenal supps my body temp continues to come up to normal which is good. My first morning temp is low like 35.3c and it use to stay that all day, now after taking my supps it quickly gets upto 36 to 36.5 which is where its suppose to be, so its all having a positive effect on my adrenal/thyroid system. During the day i have been having less fatigue and not konking out halfway through the day and sleep is still good with the PS and trypto. 2 nights ago i increased my PS from 100-200mg, i slept well but woke up very groggy, so will stick to just 100mg for now, 100mg seems to be a good dose.

looks interesting, i will have abit of a google.
They say not to push yourself with AF so after 3 days of work i was knackered, so had a sickie and rested up the 4day but feeling abit weary for a couple of days since, so today i tried my adrenal extract when i woke this morn and feeling abit drained. It seemed to help as i actually accomplished stuff around the house that has needed doing for awhile. The adrenal extract doesnt say hormones removed like some extracts, so dont know if it actually has adrenal hormones in it or not http://www.iherb.com/Allergy-Resear...al-Natural-Glandular-75-Veggie-Caps/3412?at=0 it does say no antibiotics or hormones used in the cattle it comes from, maybe i should ask them to give the cattle famvir and i can kill 2 birds with one stone. It doesnt seem overstimulating at this stage but neither did pregnenolone until i used it for 3 weeks. I might just use it for a week to get over this mini crash and get me through my next working week which is 5 ten hour shifts arrrgghh, 3days usually has me wasted. I will give work abit longer but if i continue to bomb out after 3 days i will have to look at cutting back again. My working week is 5 ten hour shifts for a few week with 3 days off and then i do 4 ten hour shift with 4 days off, my first 2 days off i am usually supine.

Im still sleeping well with medications, so i think the addition of phosphatidylserine and tryptophan at night is definately helping. Dr lams adrenal fatigue web site doesnt reccomend using adrenal extracts long term, this is the reason why im going to only use it for a week, plus im going to get some blood tests in 2 weeks so i dont wont it to effect the results. So i might use the adrenal extract as a recovery treatment like when i have crashes. Dr lam says these crashes are going to keep happening just as long as when u recover from them u improve on where u last were before the crash, so it sounds like its a 2 steps forward 1 step backwards recovery.

Anyone else share their experience with adrenal extracts, i would appreciate the feedback.

i didnt touch wood when i said i was sleeping well, its now 130am and im still awake, i dont feel over energized or anything just the sleep switch wont turn off. might be more sensitive to the adrenal extract then i think, mmm. do i try it again tomorrow?? and see if same thing happens. Im might need to wait abit longer before i use these things until i build my adrenals up with the b5, ginseng etc. gee theres alot of adjusting and tweaking to get this right. I think i need a very low dose of dhea like 10mg and slowly build up as it helps counteract excess cortisol i seem to have at night.

" Dr lam says these crashes are going to keep happening just as long as when u recover from them u improve on where u last were before the crash, so it sounds like its a 2 steps forward 1 step backwards recovery."

So he is saying every time you crash, in essence, you get better when you recover? idk about that theory

" Dr lam says these crashes are going to keep happening just as long as when u recover from them u improve on where u last were before the crash, so it sounds like its a 2 steps forward 1 step backwards recovery."

So he is saying every time you crash, in essence, you get better when you recover? idk about that theory

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I wonder about that too. It is just a theory, but I'm not convinced that everyones recovery curve has to follow his. I wonder if some of these 1 step back could be averted in some way by an increase in a particular hormone, glandular or supplement. Frequent labwork might also tell what is building up to this point. I'm going to keep really good notes if I can ever get started.

i didnt touch wood when i said i was sleeping well, its now 130am and im still awake, i dont feel over energized or anything just the sleep switch wont turn off. might be more sensitive to the adrenal extract then i think, mmm. do i try it again tomorrow?? and see if same thing happens. Im might need to wait abit longer before i use these things until i build my adrenals up with the b5, ginseng etc. gee theres alot of adjusting and tweaking to get this right. I think i need a very low dose of dhea like 10mg and slowly build up as it helps counteract excess cortisol i seem to have at night.

cheers!!!

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Friday night I took my Xyrem at 11:00 and I was wide awake at 1:00am and never fell asleep. I took second dose and woke up at 7:00am and couldn't go back to sleep. I ate a little late Friday and think that had something to do with it. Xyrem does not work well unless you have a "empty" stomach.

I probably didnt word it well about crash and recovery. I think he means we will still crash but they become less severe and we recover quicker, he says its a sign of the body slowly adapting, plus i think he is mainly refering to just adrenal fatigue not cfs with adrenal fatigue. And your right there is probably a better way to mange it, he does mention 'crash' recovery, ie when feeling unwell and about to crash, pull back, extra nutrients and more sleep etc(still looking into it).we probably all do something like that instinctively anyway.

August59 sounds like u had a shocker, so xyrem isnt cracked up to be anything flash? I feel asleep at 230am and woke up at 730am, its 830am now and feel crappy today. Im not game to say what i had taken last night as it would probably kill a baby elephant, lol. I would really like to get 9 hours sleep everynight somehow, last night i think it was probably the adrenal extracts but i didnt feel hyped up, just the button wouldnt turn off. so no adrenal extracts for me and its a seroquel sleep tonight. I know i have to get myself well rested today and tomorrow as i then have 5 ten hour shift to work aarrggg. I think i need to drop back in hours but just cant afford it at the moment, might rob a bank, but will have to wait till i have had a good nights sleep, lol.

I probably didnt word it well about crash and recovery. I think he means we will still crash but they become less severe and we recover quicker, he says its a sign of the body slowly adapting, plus i think he is mainly refering to just adrenal fatigue not cfs with adrenal fatigue. And your right there is probably a better way to mange it, he does mention 'crash' recovery, ie when feeling unwell and about to crash, pull back, extra nutrients and more sleep etc(still looking into it).we probably all do something like that instinctively anyway.

Yea i can fathom that knowledge. It makes sense, because slowly you are getting better, therefore you adrenals are functioning better, and whatever caused your adrenals to shift horribly in the first place(virus, etc.) is now not running rampant due to AV treatment. I agree with the nutrients as well, only problem is for me is, whenever i feel a bad crash coming on, i always have lots of anxiety and cant fall asleep/get substantial sleep either. So I'm up s@#^'s creek

I probably didnt word it well about crash and recovery. I think he means we will still crash but they become less severe and we recover quicker, he says its a sign of the body slowly adapting, plus i think he is mainly refering to just adrenal fatigue not cfs with adrenal fatigue. And your right there is probably a better way to mange it, he does mention 'crash' recovery, ie when feeling unwell and about to crash, pull back, extra nutrients and more sleep etc(still looking into it).we probably all do something like that instinctively anyway.

Yea i can fathom that knowledge. It makes sense, because slowly you are getting better, therefore you adrenals are functioning better, and whatever caused your adrenals to shift horribly in the first place(virus, etc.) is now not running rampant due to AV treatment. I agree with the nutrients as well, only problem is for me is, whenever i feel a bad crash coming on, i always have lots of anxiety and cant fall asleep/get substantial sleep either. So I'm up s@#^'s creek

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Grapefunk i hear ya on the sleep part, i need that extra sleep i up the anti on the sleep meds ie thats when i will use seroquel and bomb myself out and get some solid sleep. Its a bugger that sleep meds are lucky if they work 2 days in a row, im inventing different combos all the time. The phosphatidylserine and tryptophan are helping with sleep its just that actual falling asleep is the hard part and is when i need zopiclone or zolpidem. There is alot of info in dr lams site, its hard to digest it all.

cheers!!!
ps seroquel sleep last night and got a solid 8 hours sleep but awake at 4am, an extra 2 hours would have been nice for my body clock but i feel alot better after some good sleep.

Last couple of days have been good, the end of day 2 at work and i dont feel shattered, sleep has been good too. Maybe , fingers crossed, I am turning a corner and what im doing is helping. Maybe the mini crashes i was having was due to starting the adrenal treatments as the crashes seemed to have an anxiety type feel to it and maybe the adrenals were actually starting to fire up. It seems to be consistant with what i have read on dr lams adrenal site. I wont hold my breath as i have 3 more 10hour shifts to go and its usually after 3 days Im gone and tend to have a sickie on day 4 or 5. I have a docs appointment in 3 weeks so will get a saliva adrenal test kit then and see some numbers that will tell me if they are improving as well as how i actually feel.

Well, i got through 5 days of work. The last 2 were yuk!!! The more tired i feel the harder it gets to sleep, so 3-4 hours sleep between shifts is all i could manage. Driving home last night my brain was sizzling, fat flicking out of the frying pan. WHen i got home my eyes were blood shot, i looked like crap. SO in need of some good deep sleep i popped my KO pill(seroquel), Bang! out for 9 hours, gee i needed it, but woke with a headache and feeling washed out. I enjoy my job but its knocking me working full time, i think 2-3 days is my limit, these are 10hr days that can turn into 11 or 12 hr days. Now i have 3 days to get my crap together to do it all again, its definately reinforcing me to work part time but i need to wait until my mrs starts working full time which is up in the air, then i will cut back and hopefully start improving and getting a life instead of work and rest, that ground hog feeling. I think we all need to try and make some time for fun, energy depending?? I should feel lucky i can work as alot of u guys cant, but maybe its abit of type A personality in that i want 100%. I just get pee'd off when i cant spend quality time with the kids running around etc. All up i think the vit b5 and the herbs are helping, i just need more rest to get more out of it and it all takes time, i just have to remind myself not to get frustrated. I think frustration should replace depression as a symptom of cfs/me.

I just found this thread, looking for natural adrenal support ideas. Please keep updating! I did very well on cortef years ago, but stopped after a year and a half because of side effects. Liquid and tablet adrenal glandulars haven't helped me. I've just gone off coffee/tea/chocolate/sugars - sounds obvious, but it's so HARD to get through the day without a lift! Anyway, that's going well, and it has improved my sleep a bit (still waking 2-3x/night, but back asleep quickly). But I'm looking for ways to "feed" my adrenals. And I love your stories....